Adjustable mounting for portable x-ray equipment



Jimer 1941- c. B. HORSLEY ADJUSTABLE MOUNTING FOR PORTABLE X-RAY EQUIPMENT Filed Feb. 27, 1939 Q, 6 v (W ll/V7 llm\ Patented June 10, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUQTABLE MOUNTING FOR. PORTABLE X-RAY EQUIPMENT Ontario, Canada Application February 2-7, 1939, Serial No. 258,696

5 Claims.

The principal objects of this invention are to provide a simple and easily operated vertical adjustment and mounting for the transformer and tube units which will be light in weight and easily assembled and to obviate the difficulty heretofore experienced in effecting the desired adjustment and to eliminate danger due to slippage or failure of the holding means.

The principal features of the invention reside in the novel construction and arrangement of the support and adjusting means whereby vertical adjustment is achieved quickly and easily by the simple rotation of a hand wheel in co-oper-ative relation to a supporting bracket and steeply threaded member.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a portable X-ray apparatus incorporating the present invention with the adjustable parts in their lowered position.

Figure 2 is a View similar to Figure 1 showing the adjustable parts in their raised position and with the head swung for downward exposure.

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevational view partly in section of the bracket and relatively adjustable support means.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view partly in section of the lower portion of the supporting bracket illustrating a modification of the adjusting means.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary mid-sectional elevational view illustrating a further modified form of adjustment.

It is necessary in taking X-ray pictures to provide a wide range of adjustment for the relatively heavy transformer head and tube and difficulty has been experienced in providing a mounting which would be sufficiently firm to support the load and yet provide for easy adjustment particularly in the vertical direction which required that the entire weight be lifted manually while the supporting bracket was raised on the supporting standard.

It is the practise to then look this bracket to the standard by a thumb screw or the like which is very inadequate and always involves the likelihood of injury to the patient should the clamping screw fail to hold.

The present invention has been devised to eliminate these disadvantages and in the form of construction shown in Figures 1, 2 and .3 the main vertical standard I is rigidly secured to a plate 2 which in turn is firmly secured to a suitable base 3 preferably in a detachable manner.

A spirally threaded rod 4 is secured to the base plate 2 and parallels the standard I and is anchored thereto at the top by a connecting piece 5, the thread of the member 4 being advantageously of a steep pitch and having a hand wheel 6 threadedly mounted thereon.

An adjustable bracket I has a boss portion 8 slidably encircling themain standard I and having a lateral lug extension 9 having an opening at I 0 to slidably receive the spirally threaded rod 5 preferably in a clearance fit.

As shown in Figure 3 the lower end of the opening 10 is preferably bevelled as at II to {provide a tapered seat which engages a correspondingly tapered hub portion [2 of the hand wheel 6 in a substantial wedging or frictional contact for the purpose of arresting free rotation of the hand wheel 6 on the steeply threaded rod 4 during such times as the bracket and its supported weight is bearing downwardly thereagainst.

The bracket is here shown provided with lugs supporting horizontally and vertically spaced grooved rollers I3 and H which are engaged in fulcrum rolling and rotating contact by a headsupporting tube IS. The tube l5 has a forked extension 16 which may be detachably secured thereto, and pivotally supported in the forked extension is the casing I! which houses the transformer equipment and the X-ray tube and also encloses a body of insulating oil.

The casing I! with its enclosed elements is therefore quite heavy but by simply rotating the hand wheel 6 in one direction the entire adjustable assembly may be quickly raised to the desired level. During this adjustment the contact of the surfaces II and I2 will not offer sufiicient resistance to objectionably impede rotation of the wheel, but once the adjustment has been effected it will be apparent that the heavily loaded bracket will co-operate with the hand wheel due to the engagement of the surfaces H and I2 to effectively prevent undesired rotation of the wheel so that the adjustment will be effectively preserved.

If it is desired to lower the transformer head, rotation of the hand wheel in the opposite direction will quickly achieve such adjustment or, if desired the bracket and associated parts mounted thereon may be lifted sufficiently only to clear the surfaces II and I2 and the hand wheel will rotate itself and descend to the desired level so that the necessity of operating the hand wheel during downward adjustment is obviated.

It will be further observed that the co-operating tapered surfaces It and I2 will serve to position the brackets with the opening I0 concentrically of and free from contact with the spirally threaded member 4, and the bracket together with the arm [5 and head or casing ll will be accurately supported parallel with the longitudinal centre line of the base. Moreover the presence of the rod member 4 in association with the standard i will provide a more rigid support for the entire assembly.

In the modification shown in Figure 4, the

hand wheel 6 has a boss portion [2 recessed i into the bottom of the bracket lug 9 soithat it presents an extensive frictional surface contact in a plane substantially right-angularly related to the axis of the rod 4, and if desired these en.- gaging surfaces may be ofserrated form to enhance the holding ability. The boss I2 is shown engaging the inner periphery of the bracket recess at H to guide and centre the bracket lug.

In Figure 5 the special spirally threaded rod 4 and lug member are eliminated and in place thereof the main standard I is-shown as spirally threaded and having brackets 1 non-rotatably keyed thereon.

- A hand wheel 6" is shown having a tapered boss 12" directly co-operating with a tapered seat H" formed in the lower end of the boss 8'. The hand wheel may either have a knurled periphery or may have a band of rubber placed thereon to facilitate frictional contact with the hand.

What I-claim as my invention is:

V 1'. In an adjustable mounting for a portable X-r-ay head including a bracket adapted for receiving and supporting the X-ray head, an adjustable mounting meansfor said bracket ineluding a rigidly mounted spirally threaded guide member slidably associated with said bracket, means for preventing relative rotation of said bracket and said spirally threaded guide member; and a threaded member rotatable on "said spirally threaded guide member and exan X- ray head,' 'a vertical threaded spindle rigi'dly mounted and 'slida-bly associated with said bracketnieans forguiding the bracket in apath longitudinally of said threaded spindle to prevent rotation of the bracket thereabout, a hand wheel member threaded on said spindle and disengageably contacting an under-surface 0f the bracket in supporting and rotating friction contact, the pitchvof the engaging threads of the spindle and hand wheel being such that by raising the bracket clear of contact with the hand wheel the latter will automatically rotate to allow the hand wheel to assume a lower position on the spindle, the contact surfaces between the hand wheel and bracket being constructed and arranged to present sufficient frictional resistance. asto constrain the hand wheel against automatic rotationwhen the bracket rests thereon.

3. In adevice of the class described, a mounting bracket adapted to form a support for an X-ray head, a pair of spindles rigidly mounted in vertical parallelly spaced relation and slidably receiving said bracketin guiding contact, one of said spindles being threaded, and a hand wheel threaded on said latter spindle and engaging said bracket in direct supporting contact and directly accessiblefor manual operation.

4. A device as claimed in claim 2 in which the contact surfaces between the hand wheel and bracket comprise an annular tapered seat portion on the bracket encircling the threaded spindle and a boss onsaid hand wheel presenting a correspondingly tapered annular extremity frictionally engaging said. tapered seat andcooperating therewith and with the threaded spinthe to centre the latter concentrically of said tapered seat.

5. A device as claimed in claim 3 in which the thread of the spindle is ofan abnormally steep pitch such that when said hand wheelis free of contact with the said bracket it will rotate automatically in a self-threading manner to a lower level on said threaded spindle, and means presenting a disengageable frictional contact between the said hand wheel and bracket such as to normally constrain the said hand wheel from rotation on the spindle with the carriage resting thereon.

CAPERTON B. HORSLEY. 

